Surrendering to Burnout

And why I'm taking a sabbatical.

Photo by Tyler Stewart; Edit by Calvin Smith

I'm a human-being, follower of Christ, son, friend, philanthropist, philosophizer, former collegiate athlete, average cyclist and more…

I've spent the last ten-years of my life climbing to the peak of the corporate ladder. During this process, I’ve managed to become an award winning employee and live a very “comfortable” life.

However, I've realized the pinnacle of corporate success is not at all what I hoped it would be. The idea of committing another 10-years, or more, to this seemingly never ending extraction of my being has been hard for me to digest.

At times, it’s even frightening. Leading to bouts of depression, anxiety and palpable affects on my mental and emotional well being and ultimately burnout. Countless nights I've asked myself: "Is this really how I want to spend the rest of my existence?"

Wake up at 6:30 am, breakfast by 7:30 am, work by 8 am, commit 40-hours a week of my time to get one day of “rest” in exchange for my efforts. All before Sunday comes around and I’m stressing about going back to the office and doing it all over again the following week.

At last, I've mustard up enough courage to listen to my body, mind, spirit and take action.

To prepare for this sabbatical, I’ve sold and given away many of the material possessions that I own, packed up my life into three suitcases (literally) and moved abroad to Spain.

I created this Newsletter to document my experiences during this new chapter of my life. It will allow me to mentally work through the challenges that I face and to share my “post-burnout” adventures and life-enhancing moments with you along the way.

I will distribute each issue via e-mail, at least once a month. I’ll also be doing podcast with an array of individuals and posting them here for your listening pleasure.

This Newsletter is 100% free. If you want to join me on this adventure, simply subscribe below. If you’d like to support this blog and my journey, you can do so by “pledging” a monthly monetary amount.

​Thank you in advance for your time and your company on this journey. 

God bless.

-Calvin

“Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It's too high!
come to the edge!
And they came
and he pushed
and they flew…”

-Guillaume Apollinaire